Wings to Another Time
by ClaudeLv250
Summary: As I watched the events of Star Ocean 3 unfold before my very eyes, I realized that things had gone horribly wrong when it was Sophia that crashed onto Vanguard III. Sophia and...myself.


**Introduction:** I am a huge Star Ocean fan, to say the least, and have been ever since I played Star Ocean: The Second Story in 1999. I like to write, fan fiction included. I've been trying for ages to write _the right_ Star Ocean piece. I actually have a few unfinished things sitting around (like Star Ocean Zero) that may see the light of day. But here we are with "Farce Ocean 3."

To get a bit more on topic, I originally envisioned Farce Ocean as a series of straight parodies of each Star Ocean. That idea evolved into alternate takes on their narratives. You will see what I mean when the story really gets started.

**Summary:** If anyone knows me, they know that I am not a huge fan of Sophia Esteed. Instead of writing a bash fic like a lot of people would, I decided to explore the character from another viewpoint. This is an ode to Star Ocean 3, an alternate novelization, and an attempt to flesh out and give Sophia more of a role in the storyline. This is a story that adds a layer of uncertainty to the tale we all know, peppered with a bit of my personality. I hope you enjoy the ride back to SD 772.

**Disclaimer:** Star Ocean and all related properties belong to tri-Ace/Square Enix. I guess the only thing I own here is...myself?

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**Farce Ocean 3**

**Wings to Another Time**

_by ClaudeLv250_

**Prologue**

I released the gas pedal as my car cruised along the aged road of the shopping center. With a tug of the steering wheel, I guided the vehicle between two white lines and shifted into park. I unhooked my seatbelt but hesitated in turning the car off. The cool air of the AC was the only thing separating me from the sweltering summer heat.

Instead, I did an awkward stretch and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. That's what I get for doing another Star Ocean marathon the night before work.

In my defense, time flies when you're in the Maze of Tribulations.

I glanced through the windshield at my workplace across the short road from the lot. "Comps 'n Romps" was a small computer help and repair center. I always told Geoff, the owner, that the name gave completely different imagery than what he was probably going for...but I came into the picture long after the place opened so my opinion didn't mean much.

However, I did fit in to the scheme of things pretty well, and I loved seeing the looks on the customers' faces when I solved the really simple problems they couldn't figure out. Last week we got a woman that thought she busted her monitor when her daughter managed to flip the image after she slammed on the keyboard. I was hoping it was going to be another one of those easy days.

With a heavy sigh, I twisted the key and felt the crisp air cut out. I set my cellphone to vibrate mode and dropped it into my backpack. I put on a brave face, opened the car door and leapt out into the open.

The sun went to work in cooking my skin immediately. Not to mention the humidity.

I jogged across the street and gave a glance to the GameStop next to our store. I didn't have to be in for a couple of minutes...aaaaand their AC is better than ours...

That thought vanished when I noticed a woman in my peripheral vision gliding – yes, gliding – down the sidewalk. At first I chalked it up to what little sleep I got, but my curiosity convinced me to confirm it with my own eyes. As I turned to look, the woman was much closer than I realized, and I immediately recognized her.

The blonde woman wore a sleeveless black dress that puffed out into frills below the waist. A second, white piece of the dress fell out from under the frills, its bottom trimmed in a pattern of golden flowers. In her arm was a metal staff with a large, elaborate crescent moon at its end. She certainly had the look down.

"Nice costume," I admitted with a grin. "But you're gonna have to save Celestial Star for later. The anime convention is **next** week."

Her eyes slowly made their way to me, appearing as if they were taking in more than what anyone could see. There was a calculating coldness behind those cerulean spheres.

"You know of me?"

Wow, she must really be playing the part.

"Ethereal Queen, celestial super boss," I said. "Shows up in every Star Ocean. Pops up in other tri-Ace games too."

Her expression was unreadable. I got a strange vibe as we stood there in silence; she...didn't actually believe that she was who she dressed up as? There wasn't exactly a scarcity of crazy women in this city, though...

"You will suffice," she said suddenly.

"What are you...?" The rest of my words escaped me. Six wings of light spread outward from her back, as did a golden halo over her head. Her bare feet hovered about a foot over the cement. She pointed her staff at me, then turned to her left and sliced the air with the crescent tip.

A slither of darkness appeared where she had made the cut, and everything around it seemed to wobble in distortion. I felt compelled towards it, figuratively AND literally, as it expanded into a pear-shaped vacuum. The darkness was peppered with distant lights that I would have guessed to be stars if I wasn't preoccupied with not getting sucked into its black oblivion.

I latched onto the door just before my feet left the ground. The woman's face was still unreadable and the vacuum only grew in strength. Someone, ANYONE, had to be seeing this. But as I prayed for the intervention of strangers or coworkers, a harsh reality set in: If this was the **real** Ethereal Queen, no mortal on this planet could stand up to her.

That fact hit me hard, maybe hard to enough to leave a physical impact, as I lost my grip on the door soon afterward and plummeted into the abyss.

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_**Well, it's a short prologue, but I wanted to get to the *real* story as soon as possible.**_

_**This story isn't really one of my writing priorities right now, so I don't really have a sense of an update schedule. I did already start the next chapter, so that shouldn't be too far out...**_


End file.
